Need You Now
by moni-neechan
Summary: It was a quarter after one on a tuesday night and with tears falling down her face, Lucy knew there was only one place to be.


This fanfiction was inspired by the song 'Need You Now' by Lady Antebellum. So if you like to have a soundtrack for your reading then put that on repeat ;)  
But without further ado, let's get into this

* * *

Slow and quiet footsteps disrupted the almost eerie silence of a regular Tuesday night in early October. The sky was clear, with the stars shining at their brightest, awing those few who were still up with their beauty. Down in the streets of Magnolia a young blonde lay awake, her legs dangling of an edge towards the river, eyes roaming the constellations above.

„I wonder if you're up there too, Mama," she wondered in a whisper.  
Almost like an answer a cold breeze blew through her slightly messy hair, the usual ponytail missing in favor of wearing the hood of her blue sweat jacket. Shivering she clutched her arms tightly around her torso in a futile attempt to stay warm. Lucy lay back onto the cold pavement nonetheless and sighed. How long had she been roaming the streets? The young mage didn't know, not having bothered to actively keep track of time. Originally her plan had been to go and get smashed that night in the hopes of forgetting. She had been hopping from bar to bar, but instead of happier her mood had grown more somber with every drink she drowned. It had been half past eleven when Lucy had felt like she was choking on her emotions and went for some fresh air.  
Somehow whenever she was feeling down, her feet always took her to the riverside, acknowledging the calming effects of the steady flow of smooth water. Even that was lost on her that night though, as she could feel hot tears prickle beneath her now closed eyelids.  
Not wanting to end up an emotional crying wreck in the middle of the street the girl weighed her options. She could always go home and try to sleep as much of the day away as possible, but somehow she had a feeling she wouldn't be able to fall asleep anyway. Next the celestial mage thought about going back to the bar, which had proven to be a failed attempt before though.  
Her musings were disrupted then by the sound of the cathedral's bells striking one AM.  
As if awoken by the noise another wind rose up, chilling the young woman to the bone.  
„I can iagine you scolding me to take a thicker jacket from wherever you are, Mama," she spoke softly, her voice lost to the night.  
„I miss you Mama. Papa too. I miss you both so very much."  
A few stray tears started rolling down pale cheeks after all. She didn't even bother wiping them, knowing full well that there'd be more to come. The blonde left them for the cold air to dry as she pushed to her feet. About ten steps into the general direction of her flat, she could already feel the reluctance to spend the night alone. Lucy then turned on her heels.  
Suddenly in that moment there wasn't a doubt on her mind, as to where she was supposed to be. There was only one option; only one person who'd understand.  
Lucy quickly passed by the last of houses in the city, rushing into darkness as she also left the dim light of the street lamps behind.  
Using her celestial magic to light the way the girl soon found herself in front of worn wooden doors.  
The lights inside were turned off and all of a sudden she felt a little guilty of disturbing her friend that late at night when they'd just gotten back from an exhausting job. She could still feel the yearning for his company tugging at her heartstrings though, refusing her to just walk away again.  
Her ears picked up the sound of a single ringing of a bell in the distance, telling her that it turned a quarter after one in the morning.  
With newfound resolve the mage pushed open the door, the loud creaking making her cringe.  
Carefully stepping into the warm home she quickly discarded her hoodie, throwing it somewhere off to the side, her shoes soon following suit. Considering, whether to wake Natsu or not, she thought back to all the times she woke up to find him having sneaked under her covers, so she decided against it. The celestial mage tip toed along towards the slightly snoring form in the corner, trying to avoid stepping onto one of the many items scattered across the floor, most of them memories of happier times. She was about halfway through the mess, when she stubbed her toe on an old communication lacrima. The blonde cursed under her breath, but apparently still loud enough to perturb the dragon slayer's sensitive hearing.  
"Get out, I'm a Fairy Tail mage, I can kick you all the way to the moon," Natsu mumbled mostly asleep, waving a lazy hand at the supposed burglar. Lucy giggled lightly at that.  
"Wait," the boy drawled in response. "Luce is that you?"  
Not even waiting for her answer he sniffed the air experimentally. True enough his nose was it by the sweet scent of roses after a night of rain and honey. Mixed in were also the salty smell of fresh tears and the distant stench of alcohol. The latter two had him worried. Lucy had never been much of a drinker in the first place and combined with her crying this couldn't be good news.  
"What's wrong, Lucy," he asked softly, concern clearly ringing through his sleepy, raspy voice.  
"I just… need you now, if that's okay?"  
Natsu almost gasped at the sadness in her voice. He was about to ask her about it, when he remembered seeing a red marking in Lucy's calendar the other day when he picked her up for the mission. Apparently it was the 20th anniversary of the death of Lucy's mother and he felt like an immense idiot for forgetting about it in the first place. A frown settled on his face as he reprimanded himself internally for not checking up on her sooner.  
"Sure, hop in," he offered, scooting over as much as he could in the narrow hammock he used as a bed.  
Lucy muttered her thanks before making her way over quickly, plopping down next to him. He wrapped his strong arms around her shoulders, shifting in the search for a comfortable position. He knew that he never wanted to talk much on July 7th, so he roamed his head for the right thing to say.  
"Your mom and dad are out there somewhere, busting with pride of you, Luce."  
The way her hands found his and squeezed them tightly told him that honesty seemed to have prevailed once again. He really believed in families watching over each other even after death and he found that he too found comfort in the thought.  
"Thanks, Natsu, I sure hope so." He could hear a faint smile in her words.  
"I know so," he assured her, pulling her even closer, so her head rested against his collar bone.

And Lucy believed him, wrapped in the soothing warmth and safety of Natsu's arms she knew that her feet couldn't have taken her to a better place that night. She actually went home after all, because home is where the heart is.  
And so she drifted off to sleep to the sound of Natsu's steady heartbeat, dreams colored with images of her old and new family.


End file.
